I have a computer with a WD2500JS-40NGB2 Drive that was working fine, then all of a sudden I went to turn it the other day and I heard a bunch of loud clicking noises and the computer would not boot. Upon further investigation I noticed that drive spins-up clicks, spins down, then spins back up again and the process repeats. The drive is also no longer recognized in the system's BIOS. Listening closely I also noticed that the drive makes a weird grinding noise as it is spinning down (maybe the spindle is worn out and not turning fast enough)? I have made a recording of the noises the drive is making in the hope that someone may be able to tell me exactly what is wrong with the drive to see if I could just replace the PCB and have the drive work again to get the data off.
Here is the link to the audio recording of the drive (was recorded with the microphone pressed against the case of the drive):
https://soundcloud.com/aviator92/wd2500-clickingSo far I have tried tapping on the drive as it spins up to try and free it up and get it working again, but unfortunately it did not work and the drive still just clicks.
Do you think the problem is due to the circuitry on the PCB, or do you think there is internal damage to the drive heads? I am thinking it is just the PCB since the computer is not detecting it. What do you guys think, is the drive recoverable or is the drive toast and am I screwed?
Also I talked to a friend of mine today and he said to try and put in the freezer and it may fix it, but I am a little leery about doing this. Has anyone had any success with doing this?